Madison Booker’s 26 points and late basket help No. 7 Texas beat No. 17 Tennessee 80-76

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Madison Booker scored 26 points, including the go-ahead basket with 27 seconds left, and No. 7 Texas beat No. 17 Tennessee 80-76 on Thursday night.

Tennessee was without coach Kim Caldwell, who gave birth this week to a son and did not make the trip. Assistant Jenna Burdette will serve as acting head coach until Caldwell returns.

After Booker scored, Tennessee’s Zee Spearman missed a 3-point attempt with 7 seconds left, and Rori Harmon sealed the victory for Texas with two free throws.

Taylor Jones had 21 points and 14 rebounds for Texas (19-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference), which has won 17 straight at home dating back to late January 2024.

Ruby Whitehorn led Tennessee (15-4, 3-4) with 21 points. Spearman scored 14.

Booker’s go-ahead shot came after Jones and Whitehorn exchanged baskets inside, the latter with 44 seconds remaining.

Both teams shot well, hitting 50% apiece from the field. Jones went 9 of 12, and Whitehorn was 8 of 12.

Takeaways

Tennessee: The Lady Vols were out-rebounded 39-24 and had only seven on offense, 13 fewer than their average, which leads the nation.

Texas: Jones made a layup with 46 seconds remaining after retrieving Booker’s missed jump shot, giving Texas a 25-5 edge in second-chance points.

Key moment

Booker made a steal and dribbled end to end for a layup that gave Texas a 74-72 lead with 1:36 left.

Key stat

Six Tennessee players combined to make nine 3-pointers, but that’s nearly three fewer than the Vols average. Texas limited Tennessee to 17 attempts, half its normal mark.

Up next

Tennessee hosts No. 2 South Carolina on Monday. Texas is at Mississippi on Sunday.

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By MARK ROSNER
Associated Press